Dance Commentary and Reviews by Heather Desaulniers, freelance dance critic, former dancer and choreographer, PhD in dance history.

Saturday, May 03, 2014

Smuin Ballet

“XXcentric”

Yerba Buena Center for
the Arts, San Francisco

May 2nd, 2014

Smuin Ballet kicked off
the final chapter of its twentieth anniversary season with their “XXcentric”
program. For this Spring Dance Series, world premieres by Val Caniparoli and
Amy Seiwert (“Tutto Eccetto il Lavandino” and “But now I must rest”,
respectively) shared the stage with an invariable crowd-pleaser, Michael
Smuin’s 2001 work, “Dancin’ with Gershwin”.

Val Caniparoli’s “Tutto
Eccetto il Lavandino”, which translates to ‘everything but the kitchen sink’,
certainly lived up to its title. Over eleven individual sections, the
choreography morphed between classical ballet, contemporary movement, humorous
theatricality, stylized gestures and pedestrian sequences. While the work certainly
spoke of all these different dance types, “Tutto Eccetto il Lavandino” is still
at its core, a neo-classical work. But Caniparoli’s is a new, dynamic brand of
this choreographic genre; a more modern and current take on neo-classicism. One of neo-classicism’s trademarks is how the choreography
emphasizes the score. Vivaldi’s musical compositions were well reflected in the
movement,

though Caniparoli took things a step beyond the typical stressing of
chords and staccatos. Not only were particular musical motifs accented
throughout, but there was also a sense of the highs and lows of each musical
phrase being interpreted on stage. “Tutto Eccetto il Lavandino” included some
lovely, yet subtle details: Jane Rehm’s coupé derriere supported pirouette, a
crossed fifth position in the air where one foot was pointed and the other
flexed. In variation seven, Erin Yarbrough and Aidan DeYoung demonstrated how
neo-classical pas de deuxs (which are often filled with unusual and difficult partnering
sequences) can look effortless. The key is having a sense of the ‘in between’, and
to that end, mastering the transitions. Assignment accomplished.

With every new work,
choreographer-in-residence Amy Seiwert is exploring ballet’s identity in the
twenty-first century, and how it converses with the larger dance world. “But
now I must rest” took ballet and exported it into a grounded, passionate,
tribal environment. An ensemble work for ten dancers, there was a constant
sense of energy radiating out from deep within the body, extending far beyond
the fingers and toes. As the cast cycled through this incredibly tactile work,
electricity transferred between them, fueling their movements. This constant
energy flow was present in the various featured vignettes, as well as in the
piece overall. “But now I must rest” was comprised of a number of different
parts, but there was no feeling of start and stop to it. Instead, the ballet
was an uninterrupted stream of raw physical consciousness.

Closing the evening was
Michael Smuin’s “Dancin’ with Gershwin”, a revue-style celebration of dance. As
nine well-known Gershwin selections sang through the theater, different movement
styles were highlighted. From flowy classical ballet to chorus girl vaudeville
to old-school performance tap to comic follies to lyrical modern, every number
was right on point. Guest performer Shannon Hurlburt’s percussive tap solo to
‘The Rhythm Medley’ stole the show with its intricate combination of five-,
six- (and even the elusive) seven-beat riffs, double pull-backs and riffles.
“Dancin’ with Gershwin” is an essay of sophisticated glamour, cheeky charm and
debonair charisma. And the audience loved it.